Real quick like, allow me to do update from yesterday's post. I wore the PRO Compression socks all day at work with a busy mammography schedule and they were awesome! I can tell you that my feet honestly didn't hurt as much, however, they did leave some red marks as is to be expected, which can be a bit irritating to some. If you haven't yet, hop on over to yesterday's post and enter my giveaway! It's super easy and quick and you could win a prize worth $50! Okay back to business. So, for the last couple weeks I have been craving lentil soup. Strange thing to crave...most people crave cupcakes or french fries. But not just any lentil soup..."Amy's" Lentil Soup to be precise. I made the enormous mistake of making a Costco trip while I was super hungry and let's just say I ended up with A LOT of goodies. One of those goodies was a 12 pack of Amy's Soup of the Lentil and Black Bean variety I think...honestly though, I can't remember the second flavor. I just freaking love that Lentil Soup! Oh my lord people, it's amazing. It's also amazingly expensive, even from Costco. I bought the soup for those days when, "Whoops! I didn't make dinner, I have no lunch for work and I don't even have any bread for making a sandwich..." However, what ending up happening was that I ate them all in a week's time. The lentil cans that is.

A couple weeks after my Amy's Lentil Soup rampage was over I started going through withdrawals. I went to the store like a soup crack addict to feed my addiction I had created, only to find that one can was like $3.50! Say whaaaaaaaat?! Oh hell no, y'all! I am not paying $3.50 for a can of soup I can make myself for dirt cheap. Straight up. And so, here I was, staring at this can of lentil soup, all cracked out. What's a lentil lovin' lady to do? True fact #1: I almost named my blog Lentil Lady after a friend called me that. I really like lentils, okay? True Fact #2: I brought a ginormous bowl of this leftover soup to work today and my coworkers asked me if I was taking it to the potluck we apparently happened to be having that day (I was not aware of this)...Noooo...I just really love lentils! Sheesh!

The solution was to of course just make my own! So, combining a recipe from another blogger who obviously suffers from the same addiction as myself and dissecting the back of the Amy's Lentil Soup can, I came up with my own recipe that tastes just like Amy's. It really, seriously does. I haven't done a blind taste comparison...but I'm not joking when I tell you that, yes, I do plan to.

Your wallet will know the difference but your taste buds won't. Here it is in all it's amazing lentil copycat glory.

- Make sure to mince the vegetables, not dice. They should be chopped very small.

- Use any lentils you like, but I strongly recommend red lentils. They cook very quickly, require less water and cook to the texture that is desired for this soup. That said, if you prefer to use brown or green lentils (you're so stubborn!) just note that you'll need to probably double the water and cook the soup longer. I refuse to vouch for the results of this soup with the use of other lentils. Yea, I'm mean like that. Red lentils also are the most nutritious of all the lentils,so get yourself some! I'm not lying...check it out here.

- If you don't have fresh herbs, use 1/4 tsp. of dried instead and add them in at the same time as the cumin.

- I used a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time of this soup, but if you don't have one, I'll include regular stove-top directions as well.

Heat oil in the pressure cooker (lid off) or a large soup pot. Add in the chopped carrots, celery and onion. Saute for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and continue to saute for another 3 minutes or so.

Produce On Parade - Copycat Amy's Lentil Soup Recipe

Produce On Parade - Copycat Amy's Lentil Soup Recipe

In a blender, add the can of stewed tomatoes and blend until mostly smooth. Add to the pot along with the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and then add the sweet potatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes have softened. Stir occasionally.

Produce On Parade - Copycat Amy's Lentil Soup Recipe

Add in the remaining ingredients, excluding the fresh herbs. If you're using a pressure cooker, put the lid on and bring to pressure. Allow to pressure cook for about 20 minutes and then slow release the pot. After the time is up, stir the soup, you may need to add more water if necessary. Taste to ensure that the lentils are cooked through and are soft, especially if you're not using red lentils! If you're using a regular soup pot, cover and simmer for 45 minutes to one hour. All of this could vary greatly depending on what lentils you use and what method of cooking you implement. Take note, this soup is on the thicker side.

When the soup is done cooking, remove from heat and stir in the chopped herbs.

Produce On Parade - Copycat Amy's Lentil Soup Recipe

There you have it. Amy's Lentil Soup...okay, maybe not "Amy's" but who can tell the difference?

Produce On Parade - Copycat Amy's Lentil Soup Recipe

How do you make lentil soup look good in photographs? Trick question. You can't. It's not possible, I've tried. Can't be done.

Produce On Parade - Copycat Amy's Lentil Soup Recipe

This was Todd when we got home.

sleeping

And this is the worst garden helper...

helper

...#stophelping

Copycat Amy's Lentil Soup Recipe

Recipe Type

:

Soup

Author:

Katie - Produce On Parade

Serves:

6

Too poor to buy Amy's soup? Me too, but don't fret! This recipe tastes just like the real thing! You're wallet will know the difference but your taste buds won't

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 medium carrots, minced

3 stalks of celery (leaves too!), minced

1/2 yellow onion, minced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 15 oz. can of stewed tomatoes, blended

2 cups of vegetable broth

2 cups of water

1/2 medium sweet potato, minced

2 tsp. pink himalyan salt

3/4 tsp. ground cumin

1 large bay leaf

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 1/2 cups red lentils

1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

1 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped

Instructions

Heat oil in the pressure cooker (lid off) or a large soup pot. Add in the chopped carrots, celery and onion. Saute for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and continue to saute for another 3 minutes or so.

In a blender, add the can of stewed tomatoes and blend until mostly smooth. Add to the pot along with the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and then add the sweet potatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes have softened. Stir occasionally.

Add in the remaining ingredients, excluding the fresh herbs. If you're using a pressure cooker, put the lid on and bring to pressure. Allow to pressure cook for about 10 minutes and then slow release the pot. After the time is up, stir the soup, you may need to add more water if necessary. Taste to ensure that the lentils are cooked through and are soft, especially if you're not using red lentils! If you're using a regular soup pot, cover and simmer for 40 minutes to one hour. All of this could vary greatly depending on what lentils you use and what method of cooking you implement. Take note, this soup is on the thicker side.

When the soup is done cooking, remove from heat and stir in the chopped herbs.